Teacher Cuts

Jill Schumacher
Editor-in-Chief

The budget cuts in Colorado and APS are resulting in more than just money cut backs; teachers are facing many changes for the next school year as well. Teachers will not only be taking on an extra teaching period next year, but a few are going to be cut from RHS.
“It’s going to be a change,” Principal Turner said. Teachers used to have two planning periods they use to plan, tutor students, or collaborate with other teachers will now have less planning time and six periods instead of five. This means it is going to be more difficult to find teachers and get one-on-one help from them.
“This will make it harder on all of us if there will be less one-on-one time between teachers and students,” Sophomore Scott Allen explains, “I think there will be a lot more students struggling because they wont get the attention they need to understand a subject.” Math teacher Mr. Bushman also sees this “is not what is best for the students.” However Principal Turner said, “I am hoping there is not a huge impact on the students.”
Besides the added work load teachers will be receiving next year, some teachers will not be here to experience this change. Originally “about 15.4 teachers (TE) were being cut just from RHS” Turner said but the school board has cut that in half, so six teachers will be staying and not be cut just yet. However, the teachers RHS is losing will cause the other teachers to have to take on additional supervision for next year causing them to lose 1hr and ½ for supervision from their already cut back planning periods. Though some teachers will be lost classes will not be.
“I feel so sad that teachers who are very dedicated are losing their jobs,” German teacher Frau Dovas-Hudson said, “It is demoralizing that there is a ripple affect causing people everywhere to lose their jobs.”
Next year things are not going to get better. This year there is a 20 million deficit and the following years it will go down to 10 million and then to six million. This means that RHS will keep seeing changes over the next few years.
“There is not an area in the building that will not be impacted,” Turner said.